In providing electrical connector terminals for low voltage applications such as found in automotive electrical circuits, it is desirable to use flat spade type pins in multiple connectors in order to minimize the size of the connector. This is particularly important where the connector pins are attached to a panel or bulkhead or to the base of a small accessory switch to permit direct connection of the switch to a wiring harness connector. Examples of such switch terminal connections are those found in the switches employed for actuating power window lift motors, rear view mirror adjustment motors, and motorized seat adjustments. The switches employed for such vehicle accessories are typically attached to a panel in a cluster and multiple pin-carrying harness connectors are connected directly to the switch bases on the backside of the switch panel.
In providing spade type or flat pin terminals for low voltage switches, it has been desired to find a way or means of attaching the terminal connector pins to the switch base structure and to provide for connection of the terminal pins to the switching contacts in a manner that is easy to control in high-volume production, low in manufacturing cost, and which minimizes the number of pieces required to install the terminal pin, the contact and make electrical connection therebetween. Heretofore, flat or spade-type connector terminal pins for automotive switching applications have been formed by cold heading and extrusion of round stock in hardened dies. This has required several stages in manufacturing operations, in order to meet the automotive manufacturer's specification for shape and dimensional control of a spade-type flat terminal pin. It has been necessary to cold head the contact end of the terminal from round stock, trim and transfer the headed piece to second stage die operations for swaging of the flat spade portion of the terminal and necessary to perform trimming operations after swaging. This technique has proven to be quite cumbersome and costly in high volume manufacturing of connector terminal pins.